How we Got Here
by WedJes.Writes
Summary: At 25 years old, Buttercup and Butch are on the road together, still working at escaping an argument Blossom started (arguably), and that Buttercup was definitely ready to finish. After three and half years though, it gets quite difficult to deny your problems and fault.
1. Chapter 1

"Buttercup?"

She looked across to the next pillow, to where the soft question had come from, "Hmm?",

"Do you think we'll ever go home?" Butch asked, frowning a little.

Buttercup's lips curved downwards in reply and she rolled onto her back to look at the ceiling, watching the spots of light that moved through the dim shadow, as the early morning wind stirred the tattered curtains they were cast through.

That was a difficult question.

She had never intended for them to be away for as long as they had been, or maybe she had. She didn't know. All she did know, was that she was angry. She _had been_ furious back when they had first left, and now she was slightly less furious. Or something to that effect.

She missed her father, and she missed her sisters, although they had been the problem in the first place.

Well, _Blossom_ had been the problem, and the others had perpetuated it.

Buttercup winced at the thought of Blossom, and how they had left their relationship last time they had seen each other. Blossom had cried, just bawled and spluttered, and she had screamed and sworn, unleashing twenty-two years of pent up rage.

Admittedly, she had chosen a bad day to do it. In retrospect, Blossom's wedding day probably wasn't the best time to let her know exactly what she thought, but it had been the redheads fault as far as Buttercup was concerned.

"I'm sorry" she said quietly, closing her eyes tightly,

"No" Butch replied, finding her arm under the bed covers and squeezing it gently, "Don't apologise",

"But you must miss your brothers, and instead of seeing them, you're stuck here with me",

She'd lost count of how many towns they had passed through in the last three and a half years, but this was one of the smaller and shabbier ones.

"Are you kidding?" he chuckled, "I shared a room with them for twelve years, and then continued to live with them for another ten after that. I'd had quite enough of them for a while" his smile then dropped a little, "It's you I'm worried about",

"I'm fine" Buttercup sighed, placing her own hand over his, "I just-" she paused and grimaced again, "-I miss dad I guess, and Bubbles",

"And Blossom?"

Her name sounded weird coming from him. It sounded weird being said period. Buttercup felt like she hadn't heard her sister's name at all since they had left Townsville,

She only shrugged in response.

Butch sighed and retracted his arm, sitting up in the bed, "I'll get something to eat" he said, before quickly getting up, putting on his underwear from the night before, along with some jeans and a hoodie, and leaving the small hotel room,

Buttercup bundled the blankets around her and curled up under them- she didn't care how hot the room was, she needed somewhere dark to think.

Butch was generally supportive of her, he had been for nine or so years. But that also meant that when he disagreed with her on a sensitive subject, he tended to keep his mouth shut and could instead act a little passive aggressively.

He was so different from the teenager she had known all those years ago.

She never really could tell why she had said yes him, but she was glad she had- she'd never doubted from the moment she had first said yes, that it was a good idea.

0o0o0

While she easily could've flown of course, Buttercup appreciated how easy it was to climb onto her high school's roof.

School bored her like it did most teenagers, but being a town hero, she figured they couldn't do anything about it if she found a way to elevate her boredom. The solution was skipping class.

Usually she wouldn't skip a whole lesson, unless she really had somewhere to be. She'd just sit on the roof smoking, and then turn up twenty minutes late, earning an unimpressed look from whatever teacher was taking the class.

Today, she was feeling even less motivated then usual however, and third period was quickly becoming fourth period as she wiled away the time, watching planes making long streams of exhaust fumes between the clouds.

Naturally, another moment of peace would be too much to ask for though, and soon she could hear someone rattling up the drainpipe to join her,

Buttercup sighed and slumped against the air-conditioning unit she was leaning against- she would just deal with the company for a few minutes and then make her way down to the last half hour of class.

"Oh, Butter-butt"

She winced and immediately regretted that decision.

Butch was approaching her from across the roof, an annoyingly satisfied smile on his face,

"What do you want?" Buttercup groaned, tilting her head to watch him,

"Please, like I came up here to spend time with you" he scoffed, "I'm up here the same reason you did",

She rose an eyebrow at him,

He laughed again, and sat opposite her, "To skip class and smoke?" he suggested, taking out a box of cigarettes from his pocket.

"Ahh" she nodded, looking back across the expanse of the school field that rolled out beneath them,

"Obviously" Butch added, lighting the cigarette now held between his lips, "You been up here long?", he asked, as he blew out a cloud of smoke,

"Yeah, almost a couple hours, didn't feel like getting an education today" she sighed.

Buttercup then looked down to what had been a lit cigarette in her own hand, but time had left it a burnt down butt and nothing else,

"Can I bum a cigarette?" she asked, sighing at the prospect of having to ask Butch of all people,

To her surprise he shrugged and obliged, handing her the one her had already started,

"Thanks" she nodded, taking it from him and bringing it to her own lips.

The other teen scooted across the gravel to sit next to her, making it easier to share the cigarette, and casting his gaze on the sports field too,

"How come you're skipping?" Buttercup asked, handing it back to him,

Butch shrugged, "I got bored, don't really care about chem'",

"Oh yeah" she nodded, "Don't get me started on how much I hate chemistry",

"Your dad's a chemist" he laughed,

"He's a biomolecular chemist" she said, correcting him,

"Yeah, that's worse" he replied, handing back the cigarette.

Buttercup smiled and shook her head,

Annoying as he may have been, when he wasn't trying to specifically aggravate her, or insight a fight, Butch wasn't actually the worst company in the world.

She released another thick puff of cigarette smoke and handed it back to him, revelling in the light feeling it gave her.

Smoking was a nasty habit and Buttercup knew it, but she'd picked it up so easily, and she found that easiest things to start, were usually the hardest to stop,

"You think a lot" Butch said after a few minutes, wincing a little,

"What?" she replied, looking at him,

"You think a lot" he repeated, "You always have this look on your face like you're talking to yourself in your head",

Buttercup shook her head, "Maybe I am" she then added a shrug, "And maybe if it bothers you, you should stop looking at me",

Butch huffed, but didn't say anything in response- he did keep looking at her however,

"Ends?" he finally asked, offering her the now stubby cigarette.

"Sure" she nodded, taking the almost burnt out thing,

She brought it to her lips and inhaled the last of the tobacco fumes, watching the defusing smoke as it left from her parted mouth,

Once it was done with, she stubbed the cigarette out on the gravel and threw it into an open air-conditioner.

Buttercup lifted her crossed legs and instead laid them out flat on the ground, before turning back to Butch and regarding him, "What?" she asked again.

He was still looking at her, his expression slightly curious, _or slightly suspicious_ , she thought at the time,

"Can I kiss you?" he asked,

He didn't sound serious, but he didn't sound like he was joking either. If anything, the question came as though he was just genuinely wandering whether he could do as he had asked,

Buttercup blinked, "Sure".

Butch closed the gap between them quickly, and placed his lips on hers, his eyes closed and his hands coming to rest on her face and her arm,

Buttercup froze a little at first and blinked again.

His lips moved softly, almost tentatively she would be tempted to say, if she believed that Butch could be tentative; he tasted like tobacco and off-brand energy drinks, it was sweet, and a little earthy, and a little odd.

She closed her eyes after a few seconds, and reached out one hand to rest on his neck, while the other ground into the gravel, keeping her upright,

She swiped out her tongue briefly, and Butch responded quickly by licking back, slipping his tongue between her parted lips, and moving his hand to the small of her back. He tugged her to move slightly, and soon enough she was holding her body just a few inches off of the ground, as their lips continued to work against one another.

After half a minute they finally parted, and Butch looked down to Buttercup, who was now lying down on the gravel, looking up at him expectedly.

The kiss had been unexpected in many ways. She'd never expected that Butch would want to kiss her, let alone _ask_ if he could. But most importantly, she'd never expected him to be such a good kisser. She'd never given any thought to kissing him at all.

He looked down at her, a little in disbelief, but mostly managing to hide it, "Do you want to-" he then shrugged and shook his head, "Do you wanna go to my place and have sex?"

Buttercup was less surprised by this question.

She sat up and he moved out of the way, watching her closely with silent patience,

She looked about briefly before she shrugged and slapped her legs decisively, "Yeah, okay"

0o0o0

She knew it seemed ridiculous to be so casual about something like sex.

But at the same time, she didn't see the point of making such a big deal about it.

Butch had simply asked her point blank if she wanted to sleep with him, and after weighing the pros and cons, she figured she didn't have too much to lose.

They flew from the school to his home quickly, and entered through the window.

Buttercup almost laughed at the amount of cigarette butts which were caught up in the bush beneath his window, but she was then left shocked when she saw just how many more were stacked up in dishes in his room,

It was a fairly standard room for a teenage boy she thought.

A semi-messy bed dressed in black and green covers, a desk with a laptop and a huge pile of videogames, a wardrobe and dresser, the tops of which played host to empty bowls, plates and glasses, and a scattering of dirty clothes, most of which were vaguely in the direction of a half full hamper in the corner.

Buttercup and Butch didn't bother with moving anything around however, and they immediately sat on the bed, resuming their kiss from earlier,

After some general shuffling about, undressing, and a vague conversation about protection, Butch was situated above Buttercup who now lay on the bed,

He looked bewildered, and his cheeks were flushed.

She rolled her eyes at him, and pulled him down for another kiss, her fingers filing through his thick hair, and tugging on it,

He sighed and kissed back, going instead to press his lips to her neck once she pulled away,

She preened against him and bent her legs about his hips,

"Are you sure?" Butch asked softly, pausing for a moment and resting his chin on her collar, his eyes closed tight,

Buttercup sighed and nodded softly, "Yeah, I'm sure" she replied.

0o0o0

That had been the moment Buttercup had _entirely_ changed her mind about Butch.

He was so concerned with her comfort, her consent. He wasn't mocking her or trying to take advantage, he really did want her, and that made her want him in return.

Not long after they had finished, they had lain in the bed together, still and staring up at the ceiling,

Butch hadn't stayed quiet for long though, and he turned to Buttercup, saying her name softly to get her attention,

"Hmm?" she asked, turning to look at him, the blanket huddled up over her bare chest,

"I think we should do that again some time" he said, his eyes focused on hers,

She had sighed and looked back up at the ceiling,

"Yeah" she agreed, "Yeah we should"

And just like that, they started a long tradition of skipping class together.

Buttercup huffed from under the covers and resurfaced finally when she heard the hotel room door open again,

Butch was approaching the bed once more, a tray with two coffees in one hand and a paper bag in the other,

"Hey" she said, sitting up and gathering the duvet around her waist,

"Hey" he replied, smiling a little.

Butch put the food down on the bedside table, and clambered onto the mattress to regard her, "I'm sorry" he said resolutely, taking one of her free hands in his own,

Buttercup frowned, "Sorry for what?"

"I lost my temper" he said with a shrug, looking incredibly disappointed with himself,

"What?" she replied, "No you didn't, I did"

"Yeah, but then I lost my temper after you did, so technically I did still lose my temper"

She stared at him for a long moment, before laughing softly and shaking her head, "You're an idiot",

"I know, and I'm sorry" Butch replied, chuckling with her.

"No, no, I'm sorry, _you big idiot_ " she insisted,

"Seriously, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought up-" he cut himself off and shook his head again, "I shouldn't have brought up that whole mess, and I _promise_ that I won't do it again",

Buttercup frowned, she didn't deserve this man,

"Okay" she nodded, slightly begrudgingly, "It's okay" she then added.

She hadn't even noticed that her nose was starting to water, and she sniffed loudly, "What did you get for breakfast?" she asked, dabbing it with the back of her hand,

"Ahh-" Butch said, beaming again, "Coffee and bear claws" he said, tossing the bag to her,

Buttercup finally let a grin twist her lips up she opened the bag unceremoniously, quickly tucking into a pastry.


	2. Chapter 2

After the novelty of breakfast, Buttercup had started to feel unsettled again. Once she had gotten dressed and it had still not subsided, she decided that it must have been the location that was making her feel so unlike herself.

Bum-hick-Ville had a tendency to do that, as she had discovered over the years.

Despite having paid for another three days and two nights at the hotel, Buttercup told Butch that she wanted to move on to the next place, and without a single inkling that he wanted to ask why, he nodded and got out a map to see where could be next.

Now, Buttercup stood waiting in the dusty carpark, perched on the hood of Butch's very beat-up car, a cigarette burning away in her hand,

The car had at one time been a beautiful machine, armoured with matt black plating, but with the desert spray and dirty acid rain, it was now more of a brown colour.

Butch had gone to the local convenience store to pick up some food for the road- he'd taken a few notes of cash, but not his wallet. He'd left that with Buttercup, that way he'd be less inclined to buy booze they didn't need, what with no identification confirming him to be twenty-one years of age, and no credit card filled with 'disposable' income.

That was a trick the two had agreed upon early on their aimless trip: alcohol was expensive, and they didn't need it.

Buttercup pulled the wallet from the pocket of the leather jacket she wore -also belonging to Butch- and flicked it open,

It contained the usual boring crap, a credit card, a couple of dog-eared business cards and his drivers licence in one of the plastic window slots. In the other clear slot however, was a more intriguing item.

Butch claimed definitively that he was not the sentimental type, but whenever questioned about the image he kept in his wallet, he admitted that he was indeed rather fond of it.

It depicted Buttercup and her sisters along with Butch and his brothers on their prom night. Each dressed to the nines and wearing their completely unique, trademark smiles.

Despite a school dance not really being her idea of a good time, Buttercup had to admit that it had been on the best nights of her life,

Of course, she hadn't even planned on going, but it was unsurprisingly down to Blossom that she had.

She looked at that image more closely, the focus dimmed by the warped plastic that covered it,

She looked at how closely Blossom and Brick had stood for the photo.

Back then, the union had come as more than a surprise, but years later when she had explained the events leading up to that point, it all became very clear.

0o0o0

Being as she was, Blossom actually _liked_ to give her time to help various teachers after school,

More often than not, she was assigned to the library, stacking shelves and finding books for other students. It was quiet work and she enjoyed it, for most part at least.

The issue was, that after-school detention was held in the library, in an isolation room tucked away at the back; an isolation room with glass walls the kept out sound, but almost seemed to invite spectators,

Usually it wasn't a problem, but on this particular day, Blossom was finding it very difficult to concentrate whilst being watched so insistently from within the glass box.

Brick was in the final row of desks today, he was straddling a backwards chair, his chin resting against the back rest of it. While he was slumping completely stationary, his eyes kept shifting, trailing Blossom wherever she went- it had been that way for an hour, maybe more.

Every time she passed the isolation room, Blossom couldn't help but catch sight of those crimson, wickedly indecipherable eyes,

It made her uncomfortable and yet she couldn't help but wonder why he was so interested in her- in turn it made her intrigued too.

By ten minutes to five, she had stacked the final returned book and decided to head out of the library before the closing bell, hoping to get a head start out of the building before the students studying, and indeed those in detention left.

Blossom headed down the long, silent corridors, until she came to her locker and quickly twisted the dial on the padlock to open it,

As she picked out a few books and slotted them neatly into her bag, she became aware of heavy footsteps approaching from the direction she had come from moments earlier. The young woman ducked her head, trying to keep from being acknowledged, but the person in question was clearly aiming to talk to her, as they came to a stop on the other side of her locker door.

Blossom looked down to the ground, finding the toes of a pair of boots poking out under the metal sheet of the door,

They were black leather, but covered in grey dust and brown mud, as scuffed as anything, with tears in the top layer of fabric,

She rolled her eyes,

"What is Brick?" Blossom asked, slamming her locker door closed.

The redhead blinked at her, before smiling softly, an annoyingly charming smile, "I just wanted to chat",

"Shouldn't you be in detention still? It's not five o'clock yet" to stress the point she gave a glance to her watch, finding that it indeed had not reached the hour yet,

Brick shrugged and let out a little laugh, "You really think that matters to me?"

She glared at him but didn't answer.

"Oh come on-" he said after a moment had passed and he realised that his own amusement did not appealing to her, "-leaving detention ten minutes early is hardly a crime",

"No, but for example, leaving prison early would be, as you'll no doubt find out one day" Blossom said, turning to lean against the line of lockers, her arms folded tightly against her chest,

"Really?" he replied, copying her stance and stooping to face her head on, "You really think a prison will hold me?" he added with a laugh.

Blossom generally avoided Brick as much as she could, in her opinion he was the worst of the Rowdy-Ruffs, at least in regards to the treatment of her. He teased her mercilessly when they were children, and now it wasn't much better,

Mostly the teasing had faded into insistent following and comment making, but she found that annoying enough.

"Is there something that you wanted?" she asked,

Distantly the library bell rang, signalling five o'clock, and Brick's smirk fell as he turned to look in the direction the sound had come from.

Even from where they were, they could hear to doors to the library opening, and two dozen more people entering the corridors,

"Come here" Brick said, suddenly taking Blossom's arm and pulling her to the closest classroom,

"Hey!" she snapped as he all but dragged her in.

The room was empty of course, and the curtains were drawn making it dark too,

All Blossom cared about was getting out, as soon as she could too.

"Is this really necessary?" she asked, folding her arms again once Brick had let go of her, shielding herself from his gaze,

"I just wanted to ask you something" he said, talking softly,

She quirked an eyebrow at him, shocked by his gentle tone, "Okay",

"Okay?" Brick replied, just as surprised.

The young woman nodded, shrugging a little, "Well I'd have preferred it if you hadn't accosted me and brought me in here, but okay" she repeated, "What do you want to ask me?"

His cheeks suddenly stained a bright red colour, practically matching his hair, eyes and clothes, "Well- eh-" he faltered, raising his hand to scratch the back of his neck.

Blossom's own cheeks began to heat up at the sight of him flustered, she had never seen him like that before- unfortunately, she had to admit that he was almost cute when he was nervous,

"Would you maybe go to prom with me?"

She blinked, quite sure she'd misheard him, "What?",

"Prom" he repeated, "Do you want to go?" he winced, "With me?"

"No, I got that" the girl nodded, "I'm just not sure I understand",

Brick frowned, but stayed silent. He looked as though he didn't quite know what to do with himself, how to stand, what to do with his hands, even what to say,

"Why would you want to go to prom with me?" Blossom asked,

Clearly deciding that he was being failed by words, the young man took a long stride forward, one hand raised. His palm met with her cheek, his fingers resting on the top of her neck, just behind her ear. Brick then tilted her jaw up slightly, meeting her eyes with his own, and without hesitation he reached forward, pressing his lips to hers.

She was entirely taken aback by the contact, and while she found that she didn't actually want to pull away from it, Blossom couldn't help but stumble back with the surprise, the top of her thighs meeting with a desk,

"Mmm" she hummed, moaning into Brick's mouth, her own hands coming to rest on his shoulders, so she had more purchase in the sweet kiss.

Brick took hold of her hips and guided her to sit on the desk, her legs spreading so he could slot in between them and stay close,

When they finally pulled away, they were both short of breath, grasping onto each other,

"So? Prom?" he asked, his hands coming to a stop a little over half way up her thigh, just under the hem of her skirt.

Blossom wasn't listening to him though, her head felt hot and unclear. She let out a groan and craned her head to press a kiss to his neck, her teeth nipping at the flesh gently. She so wanted for him to keep moving, to reach higher than just her thigh,

"Shit" he hissed, squeezing her legs, and breathing deep the scent of her perfume,

"Give me some air" she then said quickly however, sliding her hands down to his chest and pushing him away,

"Sorry" he replied, stepping back immediately, coming to sit with a rather shell-shocked look on the opposite table.

Blossom sat for a long time, regaining her breath and staring down at her feet that dangled just above the ground,

Brick was silent too, watching her cautiously,

She couldn't process any of it, it just didn't make sense. It was Brick, _Brick_. He had _kissed_ her, made her hot under the collar, even stirred up her insides, making her _want_ to part her legs even further…

She swallowed thickly at that thought and stood very suddenly from the desk, shooting out from the room, her mind now turning to the one-track aim of getting home as quickly as she could.

Naturally, she was being pursed, and it wasn't long before the young man caught up with her, taking hold of her arm once more, albeit softly,

"I'm sorry" Brick said again when she had finally stopped trying to move onward, "That was- that was weird",

"' _Weird'_ " she repeated softly, "You kissed me"

He rose his shoulders into a gentle shrug, "You kissed me back"

Blossom bit her lip and looked up at him.

There was still a dark flush spread across his cheeks, and his own lips were still tinted pink,

Her gaze softened involuntarily, and she rounded up to give him another kiss before she really thought about what she was doing,

The contact was brief but sweet, and when they separated once more, Brick's eyes remained closed as if he was trying to capture the moment.

"I can't go to prom" Blossom said quietly after a moment, "Bubbles, Buttercup and I said we wouldn't go if we didn't all have dates" she concluded,

The young man before her looked completely devastated, but he shook his head after a few seconds had passed, and an idea began to dawn on him, "I'll get the boys to go with them" he insisted,

"'The boys'?" she asked, her brow furrowing,

"Butch and Boomer, they'll go with them" he nodded, now reaching out to take her hand, "I just-" he paused, shrugging, "I want to go with you. I've been thinking about it, a lot, and I want to go with you",

The girl had never been so flattered in all her life, this was all so improbable, and yet happening anyway, happening to her, "I don't know" she replied, doubting the plan,

"We'll just see what they say, would that be so difficult?" Brick asked, just starting to think that he wasn't above begging.

Blossom continued to stare at her shoes, her fingers were still entwined with his however-

"Okay" she whispered, nodding.

"Okay?" he replied, his lips parting in surprise and pre-emptive joy,

She looked up at him and nodded, a very shy smile forming on her face,

Brick grinned back, "Could I kiss you again?"

Blossom blushed and shrugged, "I suppose" she said with a nod, pitching up onto her tip toes and uniting their lips once more.

0o0o0

It had taken an awful lot of poking and prodding to get that information out of Blossom of course, mostly from Bubbles who was desperate to know. Buttercup would hardly say that she _wanted_ to know, especially not the gooey details, let alone the more intimate ones, but she was at the very least interested. The event to Blossom liking Brick was monumental, and no one could've predicted it.

She sighed and snapped the wallet shut, slipping it back into the inside pocket from where it came,

Her cigarette had burnt down into a useless stub by now and frowning she flicked it away into the dirt.

"Ready to go?" Butch then asked, now approaching the car with a large paper bag in hand,

Buttercup nodded silently and pulled off the jacket, folding it across her arm,

The young man came to a stop in front of her, smiling widely, "You look so cute in my jacket"

She cocked her head at him and gave him an unamused sort of look, "Gross" she said softly,

" _You're_ gross" he replied, stooping and moving his face right towards her own,

"Well you're a loser" Buttercup countered, now unable to stop the gently smile upturning her lips,

"I'm _your_ loser" Butch chuckled, before reaching forward and pecking her lips softly.


	3. Chapter 3

Driving across country was usually the most boring and frustrating part of Butch and Buttercup's new life.

The landscapes they traversed all looked the same. Washes of beige deserts, with long straight roads running through them. There weren't attractions, other cars, barely even signs of life. There was little Buttercup could do to stay sane- at one time they had tried listening to the radio, but the intermittent signal and crappy music coupled with obnoxious radio presenters actually made her feel worse. Soon she took to sleeping instead or reading whatever trashy material they could find at gas stations- she avoided newspapers on whole however, on the off chance the pages could hold any mention of the 'Powerpuff Girls'.

This particular journey was looking up however, quite literally in fact, as the car had started up a shallow incline some time ago. It had started very minimally, but as the altitude climbed, so did the amount of foliage surrounding the road. Soon enough, even the dried-out bushes started to bloom with green, and the landscape became obscured by trees.

"Where are we?" Buttercup asked, sitting up in her seat and gazing out of the mud speckled window,

Butch laughed softly, and spared a glance at her, "It's a surprise" he answered,

"This wasn't on the map" she went on, turning back to him and his satisfied smirk,

He shrugged, "I just wanted to take you somewhere a little different. It's a bit of the detour, but it'll be worth it I think"

Buttercup shrugged in return and went back to observing their busy surroundings.

Soon enough, Butch pulled the car into a tiny parking space by the road and turned the engine off,

His girlfriend gave him a quizzical look which made him all the more amused,

"Go on then" he stated, leaning on the steering wheel, "That way, should be just through the treeline, watch your step" he said, pointing into the wall of greenery surrounding his side of the car,

Buttercup unbuckled her seatbelt slowly, and climbed out of the vehicle, absolutely revelling in the cool air she was met with, and the sweet scent of nature. She closed the door behind her heavily, and made her way around the outside of the car, heading in the direction Butch had pointed her in.

The ground beneath her was uneven, but covered in fresh, bright grass. As she started through the light spread of bracken and ferns at the base of the trees, she heard her boyfriend start from the car too, and begin to follow her,

As surprised as she was by the whole situation, she still trusted him implicitly, and she only faltered when bright orange light began to filter through the trees ahead of her, hitting her eyes and making her wince,

Buttercup reached out and took a branch beneath her hand, placing weight on it so it bent downwards.

Glorious sunshine from the setting sun greeted her, and once she had gotten used to the brightness she stepped beyond the foliage, finding herself met with a beautiful scene.

It had to be some kind of national lake or reservoir, an area protected to maintain its resplendent beauty.

She was stood at the top of the steep hill, looking down over the water and the rest of the vast forest area about it. The lake shone with the reflection of fiery clouds, all yellows, oranges and reds, while the trees glowed with florescent verdancy.

"Do you like it?" Butch asked, coming to a stop beside her, and placing one hand on her hip,

"It's amazing" Buttercup replied, watching in awe as a murmurations of small birds danced about the surface of the lake, no doubt collecting late afternoon insects in their beaks,

"Just wanted to do something special for a change" he added, pulling her close to press a kiss to her temple, "Happy anniversary babe",

She slid her arm around him in response and leaned into him, suddenly feeling very at peace, more than she thought she ever had.

"We can't stay for long, we've still got to find a hotel, but we can sit a while"

Buttercup nodded vigorously, snatching Butch's hand in both of her own, "Let's watch the sunset properly"

0o0o0

Quiet moments with Butch didn't come very often, not like this. A few years earlier, on the night of the prom, they'd come close however.

When Blossom had approached her on the matter, Buttercup had rolled her eyes at the idea, mostly playing at frustration, as really, she didn't care at all. Prom was never a concern of hers. The greatest nuisance would be finding a dress- naturally, she didn't mind Butch's _company_ , as apparently that was part of the deal.

Bubbles had been all blushes and nervous worry, but in the end had 'begrudgingly' accepted the idea.

When the doorbell rang that evening, Buttercup had of course been the only one ready, and she trundled quickly down the stairs, a box of cigarettes and her lighter in hand,

She opened the door to a surprised looking Brick and arched an eyebrow at him, "Evening"

"Evening Buttercup, ready for prom?" he asked, sounding oddly nervous and glimpsing 'subtly' past her into the house.

She looked down to the black and grey chiffon affair she wore and quirked her brow again, "Yes…?"

"Oh yeah" he nodded, "You look nice" he then added, rather dismissively,

Buttercup blinked, but bit her snappish tongue, "Won't you come in Brick?" she asked as sweetly as she was able, not quite making it to saccharine, "The girls are just finishing their makeup" she added, opening the door wider to accept him.

"Oh thanks" the redhead replied, shuffling in, "Boomer's just directing Butch while he parks up",

"Good idea, Blossom would probably kill every single one of us and then herself if he so much as scratched her car" she said, still hanging onto the door handle.

Brick clearly wasn't listening however, instead he was watching the top of the stairs apprehensively,

Thankfully, Boomer arrived in the doorway a few seconds later, cutting out the need for small talk. He did however stop on the doormat, freezing in place and creating a road block of sorts.

Buttercup followed his gaze to the stairs, finding that at last her sisters were ready;

Bubbles was first, paused on a step about halfway down,

Her platinum blonde hair was gathered into two stubby plats that just skimmed her collar, while a few fly-away tendrils fell into her left eye. Her dress was midnight purple, her jewellery sparkling silver.

She bit her lip, tucked some hair behind her ear and descended the rest of the steps, "Hey Boomer"

"Hey" he replied, breathlessly.

Blossom was next, stopping almost at the top of the staircase. She wore a pale peach dress that was cinched close at her waist, while her long orange hair lay straight down to her breasts where it flared into waves, almost cupping them,

Brick's grin was indescribably large.

"I'm going for a smoke" Buttercup said after what she felt was an uncomfortably long silence,

She weaved between the veritable congregation that was forming in the hallway and made her way to the kitchen, opening the sliding glass door to the back garden and stepping out onto the decking.

It was a cool night and her cigarette took a while to light- she was relieved when it did, and she slipped up onto the railing about the perimeter of the decking to enjoy it, along with some peace and quiet,

Buttercup was not surprised to be immediately disturbed however, as the glass door opened again. Luckily, the new company was the one person she was willing to talk to.

Butch smiled and stepped out to join her, "I thought I'd find you here" he said, closing the door behind him,

The young woman pre-emptively took out a second cigarette and held it up,

He nodded and approached her, coming to a stop right between her legs, which she had parted easily to greet him.

"The others weren't particularly useful" he added before Buttercup placed the cigarette between his lips and lit it for him,

"Yeah, your brothers seemed a little awestruck" she said with a dry laugh,

Butch blew out a ring of smoke and laughed back. He then licked his lips to talk, shrugging softly, "You're looking very beautiful tonight too"

She rolled her eyes at him and put her cigarette back in her mouth,

"Seriously, you are" he nodded, now placing his hands on her hips and drawing closer to her body,

Buttercup bit her lip and let her cigarette fall from her hand and off of the railing. She reached out and pinched at his tie, puling the end of it out from the confines of his waistcoat, "I like this"

"You do?" Butch replied, raising his brow,

"Mmm hmm" she nodded, "You look very handsome"

"Your sister picked them" he responded, almost unable to keep from laughing.

She couldn't believe it, and her expression quickly became stern as she looked him directly in the eye, searching for a hint of a dishonesty, "She didn't?"

"She certainly did" he nodded, now chuckling at her building frustration, "She bought me, Boomer and Brick _specific_ ties to wear, and sent them to us",

Buttercup was furious, "You're fucking kidding me? I'll kill her! I can't believe it, she just has to be in control of everything-"

Her rant was cut off as Butch took hold of her chin and swallowed her words with a kiss.

She groaned and gripped his shoulders, slipping her tongue into his mouth, letting it lap against his and tasting his freshly brushed teeth,

"You just did that to shut me up didn't you?" she asked softly, her eyes still closed as he pulled away from her,

Butch chuckled, "That, and because I wanted to" he replied, "You do complain about your sister an awful lot though",

"I know" she sighed, "It probably gets a bit old I imagine",

He shrugged, "It's justified, she is very annoying",

Buttercup rolled her eyes and grabbed his tie again, reeling him in close once more.

He bit his lip and raised his eyebrows, watching her curiously, "Temptress" he hissed, teasingly,

"Shut up" she said shaking her head in amusement, going in for another long, drawn out kiss.

The taste of the young man was incredible, and what he could do with his tongue was beyond magic, both in a kiss and in other circumstances.

They'd been _spending time_ together for well over a year now, they knew each other's preferences, how to hold and how to touch one another but most importantly, they enjoyed the simple fact of having each other's company. It wasn't all sex, they knew that.

They'd spend time talking, sharing cigarette's, swapping school notes, and even enjoying shared silences.

It was a good arrangement,

"Someone's coming" Buttercup murmured against Butch's lips after a few minutes, and they quickly parted, straightening their clothes and doing their very best to not look suspicious,

Thankfully it was the Professor who had come to find them, and he was of course the most clueless when it came to identifying sexual tension.

"There you are" he said with a smile directed at his daughter, "Blossom wants to get a photo of you all" he added. His gaze then shifted to Butch who was just finishing tucking his tie away, "Looking sharp Butch" he said awkwardly, nodding to him,

"Thanks" he replied, "Better get in there".

The Professor let the young man slip past him in the doorway, and then he once more turned to Buttercup, beaming at her,

She smiled back and made her way across the decking to join him,

Once they were in the kitchen, and the back door was closed again, he paused, glancing over to her.

"Everything alright Professor?" Buttercup asked softly, seeing the fond expression he wore and the slight glint of tears coming to his eyes- he had always been an emotional man,

"You look beautiful Buttercup, really, truly, beautiful" he said,

She immediately melted on the spot. It meant a lot coming from her father; she had always been a bit of daddy's girl, although not in the same way that her sisters were.

They each loved the professor dearly:

Blossom loved him, but despaired at the fact he could be a little useless, not always being the best at looking after himself. As such, she sometimes felt the need to look after him, and could at times be patronising.

Bubbles on the other hand was the opposite. She loved the professor too, and while she was of course a genetically engineered super human, very capable of looking after herself, she liked to look to the professor for affection and care. She was sincerely adorable and naive, and everyone doted on her, none more than their father.

Buttercup loved her father, although it had taken her the longest to say it.

Their relationship had been rocky for a few years, especially when she was a younger teen. It hadn't quite gotten to resentment, but she was at the very least bitter about some of her father's decisions. Such as his naming of her; calling her 'Buttercup' because it 'also started with a B'.

Part of her felt as though the professor loved her less than he loved her sisters, and she couldn't stand that, she felt like she was just as important, and should've been treated as such.

When teenage problems other than being at odds with one's parents reared their heads however, the person Buttercup found that she trusted most, was her father.

When it was just the two of them, the professor was the most understanding, kind and patient man, and most importantly, all that understanding, kindness and patience was directed at her. Just at her, she didn't have to share it with her sisters.

Although Buttercup had been the last to say she loved the professor, she had been the first to call him father.

"Thank you" she said quietly, nodding and blushing softly,

The Professor put a hand to her hair and stroked it gently, "Please have a good night tonight" he asked,

She appreciated that immensely- he wasn't asking her to have a good time for the sake of Bubbles or Blossom. He was asking her to enjoy herself, because he wanted _her_ to have a good time,

"I will" Buttercup nodded, "I promise"

"Good" he replied, before reaching over to place a small kiss on her forehead, "Now come on, before she starts to get impatient"

Taking the photo had been a bit of a fiasco, the lighting was 'off' as Blossom kept telling the Professor, and Boomer kept blinking and moving around. Eventually a good photograph had been captured however, and the six teenagers departed from the house. Butch, Buttercup, Bubbles and Boomer piled into Butch's car, while of course, Blossom and Brick took another by themselves.

The drive to the hotel presentation room was short thankfully, and by the time they all got there, the festivities had just kicked off. Blossom and Brick broke off from the rest of the group quickly, while the others sat at a table which had been assigned with their name cards.

Buttercup watched the mobbed dance floor with mild disinterest. There were teachers and chaperones floating about the dancing couples and cliques, making poor jobs at separating students who were getting too close- that was probably the most entertaining part of the whole thing. Otherwise is was too loud and too bright, while also being too dark at the same time. Buttercup was starting to realise that prom was really not her scene,

"Does anyone want anything from the food table?" Boomer asked loudly, his hands folded in his lap in a helpless attempt to keep them from fidgeting,

Bubbles had left a few minutes earlier to catch up with a couple of friends and since the table had been silent.

Butch looked to Buttercup who quickly shook her head and went back to people watching, "We're alright thanks, go knock yourself out though" he added,

Boomer nodded and stood from the table with a sigh.

"This is really fucking lame" Butch said after a moment of silence, leaning towards the girl sat beside him so she could hear him over the music,

Buttercup nodded and looked back at him once more, "Want to cut and run?" she asked, frowning,

"Tempting" he replied, matching her expression, "Would be a shame to waste that dress though" he then said with a shrug, his lips turning up a little.

She rose an eyebrow at him however, and her frown deepened, "What?"

"How about a dance? Just one" Butch suggested,

She shook her head quickly, "No way, I don't want to add anything to this shit show",

"Oh come on, just one and then we can go and get wasted"

That at least piqued Buttercup's interest, "You're packing?"

The boy laughed softly and opened one side of his jacket, revealing a clear bottle tucked into his breast pocket. He then placed a finger over his lips and winked at her,

Buttercup rolled her eyes and shook her head once more, "Go on then, one dance I suppose",

Butch stood enthusiastically and offered her his hand. She eyed it for a long moment, hoping that the boy was only acting so eagerly in an attempt to mock those around them that were taking the ordeal so seriously, but she took it all the same and allowed herself to be pulled into the fray.

Dancing with Butch was difficult and embarrassing. His idea of 'dancing' was to make as much of a mess of it as possible apparently, and he only laughed it off when people watched him with disdain, annoyed by his total disregard for their 'special' night.

Soon enough Buttercup was laughing too however, not at him, but with him- she even joined in with his terrible dance moves a little. She had to admit, it was kind of fun, and she was even starting to forget that it was Butch she openly having a good time with, in front of the people she'd known for years. She was sure that none of them would believe that the two been sleeping together for over a year however, their class mates could probably never agree that Butch and Buttercup even liked each other.

The song then ended and faded into another, much slower piece of music.

Buttercup took Butch's hand in her own and dragged him off the dance floor, forcing him to keep his word of one dance, and also preventing him from dragging her into some soppy display like a slow dance. She had visions of him pulling her into some kind of waltz mockery, and that she couldn't stand,

Instead, they made their way quickly to the far side of the hall, and slipped between the thick red curtains that lined the entire place. The music became harshly muffled and the air dropped a few degrees.

"Woo!" Butch cheered with a chuckle, reaching into his jacket, "Dancing makes me thirsty" he said taking out the bottle and cracking it open,

"You call that dancing?" Buttercup asked in return, reaching to take it from him once he'd taken the first swig.

She put the bottle to her lips and poured a good mouthful down her throat, hissing at the way the cheap vodka scorched her insides,

"Yeah!" he replied, still releasing mad giggles, "I'm an incredible dancer",

"Sure" she said with a nod, taking another gulp alcohol,

"Gimme" Butch then said, snatching the bottle from her. He took another long drink and then capped it, placing it back in his pocket,

"That's it?" she asked in disbelief, half tempted to rough him up for the rest of the vodka,

"We're gonna cut and run remember?" he asked, "We can have the rest later"

Buttercup licked her dry lips and leant in closer to him, placing her hands on his shoulders, "What've you got in mind?",

"Well" he said, biting his lip and watching her, "I have got a free house",

She smiled wickedly at him and let her body fall closer still against his, pressing him against the wall as she attacked his mouth with frenzied kisses.

"Someone's eager" Butch growled happily once they finally parted, his lips wet with saliva,

"I just can't wait to get this dress off".

0o0o0

Buttercup let out a long, shaky sigh, lifting herself from Butch's lap and coming down heavily beside him on the bed, pulling the thin covers over her bare body. She flexed her shoulders, lifting off of the mattress for a moment, and then settling down again, rolling her neck and letting out a gentle moan from deep in her throat.

Butch sidled up against her with a huge smile covering his face, he placed a hand on her far hip and stroked at her skin softly, leaning forward to press a kiss to her neck.

She hummed happily and raised a hand to his head, partly to keep his lips against her throat and partly to drag her fingers through his thick hair, her nails softly scratching at his scalp,

"You were amazing baby" he said with a whisper against her skin,

Buttercup bit her lip and squirmed against the mattress, her body still settling down.

Butch kissed her neck again, "Alright-" he said with a sigh, the tip of his nose now drifting over her pulse, "I'm going to say something weird, so prepare yourself",

Her face screwed up into a look of confusion and she tilted her head as best she could to look back at him, "What?"

His smile broadened, his eye creasing happily, "I kind of love you"

Buttercup licked her lips and rose her hand once more into his hair, "I love you too"

"Really?" he nearly laughed, clearly in disbelief.

She blinked at him but couldn't help it as the corners of her lips turned up, "Yeah, I think I kinda do"

"And it's not just the sex, right?"

She rolled her eyes at him, but didn't answer,

Butch chuckled and sat up in the bed, lifting a hand to prod at her nose affectionately,

She batted his fingers away and bit her bottom lip tightly between her teeth, "Yeah, and stop teasing, because I'm serious"

"So am I! I'm just kind of surprised is all"

"Surprised that I love you?" Buttercup tried her very best to not sound offended, but she knew without doubt that she had failed miserably when she heard the tone of her own voice,

"No no, not that" he answered quickly, shaking his head, "I'm just surprised we got to this point. I mean it's us Butts, 'The Greens'- 'Most unlikely to ever get along'"

Buttercup shrugged and turned to look straight ahead, "What can I say, I'm nothing if not unpredictable"

"That you are" he chuckled, scooting closer to press his lips to her jaw, "Just one of the many things I _love_ about you",

"Oh shut up" she sighed, taking the back of his neck roughly into her grip, and pulling him into a deep, lingering kiss.


	4. Chapter 4

Butch watched as Buttercup moved about the hotel room, her expression vacant as she folded her clothes and dumped them on the desk chair. He shuffled on the mattress and brought his head up to rest on his fist, his knuckles pressing into his jaw as his expression became perplexed,

"Are you alright?" he asked softly, quirking a brow,

The young woman filled a glass with water from the jug which was waiting on the desk, "Yeah" she said with a shrug, bringing it to her lips, "Sure"

He frowned, "Really?"

Buttercup sighed and stepped over to the bed, placing her drink on the side table and dimming the lights with the switch by the bedhead- they had decided to stay in a more expensive hotel for their anniversary, and as such the facilities were a little more sophisticated than they were in their usual haunts.

Without breaking eye contact with her boyfriend, and turning up one corner of her mouth into a smile, she brought her hands up and tugged off her sports bra, letting it drop to the floor behind her,

Butch sat up amongst the covers, "That's not really an answer Butts" he said quietly.

She rolled her eyes and spun on her heel, letting herself fall back onto the mattress, "I'm fine" she insisted, yanking the blankets over herself,

"That sounds like a lie babe" he replied, moving closer and digging though the duvet to find her, "Just talk to me, I want to know what's up" he said, pressing a small kiss to her neck once he found it, "Do you want to leave again? Is that it?"

She released a groaning noise from deep in her throat, "No, no, it's our anniversary, you deserve to stay in a nice hotel and enjoy it"

"I can't enjoy it if you're not happy"

She rolled her eyes again until her gaze came to land on his serious expression, "I'm having a nice time" she replied, sitting up and turning to face him head on, "Really- I'm here, I'm with you, and nothing else matters. I'm really happy", she took the young man's face into her hand, "I love you"

He melted at her words but couldn't kick the unsettled feeling in his stomach, even as their lips came together into a sweet kiss, "I love you too, I just worry about you"

"I get that, because I worry about you as well, even though you literally give me no reason to"

Butch laughed, "So you're saying I should give you more reason to worry? Should I be more reckless?". While his girlfriend's face lit up and she chuckled in response to the suggestion, his own expression soon turned down again, "We _can_ go find another place if you want, somewhere you feel more comfortable"

Buttercup was still feeling off, it was true, but her guilt in that moment outweighed it- she had meant what she said, she wanted him to have a good time on their anniversary, "I'm happy" she said, slowly placing her arms around his shoulders and drawing herself closer to him, "Trust me, I am. Now let me give you your anniversary present before you piss me off with your worrying and I change my mind"

0o0o0

Buttercup and Butch had been together for eight years; they had spent five of them on the road, during which Buttercup felt the constant guilty pangs that came with dragging Butch out of any kind of normalcy that they could have had.

He was loyal and clearly he cared about her, because otherwise he wouldn't have gone with her, especially not for so long; it was all to his detriment however, as his unwavering reliability made _her_ feel all the more guilty.

The half decade (and counting) long road trip had come about very suddenly- not once had Buttercup considered running away before she actually got pushed into doing it. Her explosive personality tended to get her into trouble and stupid, spiteful situations such as that though, so really, she and no one else needn't be so surprised that it had gotten as far as it had. Now it was as good as normal to her.

To say that it had all started at Blossom's wedding was unfair- twenty years of frustration, originating from their birth had been where it started. Blossom's wedding was simply the straw that broke the camel's back.

Buttercup was sick or posing for photographs in the stupid dress she had been made to wear, she was sick of having to fulfil every tiny request her sister had, she was sick of Blossom, and especially sick of her hours long wedding, which was showing no sign of ending any time soon- they hadn't even eaten yet.

She huffed, watching from across the expanse of the large pond as the photographer flitted about, arranging guests for another huge group picture. He looked like just another bug skimming the water.

Buttercup knew she should probably be on that side of the pond too, Blossom would only complain about it later if she wasn't in the pictures, but at this point the ravenette didn't care, she needed a cigarette, something to eat, and maybe a stiff drink of she could sneak one.

She understood that it was an important day for her sister, she appreciated that- what she didn't appreciate was the yearlong engagement, each day of which she had been required to carry out some ridiculous task, only to be told that what she had done was unsatisfactory: Buttercup found potential dress shops, but none of them carried garments from a designer Blossom liked; Buttercup picked up napkin samples, but none of them were made of the eco-friendly material that Blossom had found on the internet; Buttercup saw a bridesmaid dress she actually liked, but it didn't come in any of the right colours- blue and _green_.

She couldn't believe that her sister seriously wanted them to wear blue and green, they weren't the Powerpuff Girls anymore, they saved the city now and then when it was in danger of course, and if they saw injustice in the streets, they put a stop to it, but they didn't wear uniforms, they weren't children anymore. Buttercup didn't understand why Blossom couldn't let it go.

She sniffed and stepped back from the edge of the water, obscuring herself amongst the greenery (as least the stupid dress acted as camouflage).

The ceremony had taken place in the manor of a huge county estate, but the reception was set to be held in a massive marquee they had had erected in the verdant grounds.

Buttercup let the waxy flap of the tent slap close behind her as she crept into the quiet, warm space. All of the tables were set up with huge white cloths, red and pink flower arrangements, polished silverware and handwritten name cards.

It was very surreal seeing the place empty, especially knowing just how many guests were meant to fit in there; Buttercup thought that she probably preferred it this way though, the guests would only make it loud, too hot and likely introduce the social pressure of needing to dance,

She rolled her shoulders and sighed, revelling in the silence.

It was probably almost five minutes before she moved again, the quiet, cool air had calmed her a little, but it wasn't enough to distract her completely,

The ravenette turned, heading to exit the tent once more. She could see the hot sunlight baring against the plastic of the marquee, making the off-white walls glow. The surrounding trees cast a few large shadows across their surface, like dark clouds on dusky skies.

Buttercup reached to open the exit flap but froze as a human shaped shadow walked across the wall, stopping just a few feet away, their hands on their hips. The young woman took a deep breath and moved forward, parting the waxy hangings just enough to see out into the garden. Her lungs quickly deflated, the air escaping through her lips in a sigh.

Butch was stood by the side of the pond, his hands in his pockets and his back to the tent,

"Hey loser" she said softly, a small smirk finding her face.

He turned on the spot, eyebrows raised, "Butts? What're you doing in there?"

She shrugged, "Taking a break, wanna join me?"

The man briefly looked over his shoulder, checking that there was no one around, "Sure" he then said with a nod, approaching the tent.

Buttercup stepped back from the opening, clearing the path for him, her hands clasped patiently behind her back,

Butch looked about the space as she had, getting a feeling for the quiet, before finally rounding on her, a smile now turning up his own lips, "You're going to get into trouble you know; you're a pretty important part of the wedding party and you keep wandering off"

"You know I don't give a shit" she said with a laugh, coming to perch on the edge of one circular table, causing it to tilt under her weight, "I'm so over this wedding BS"

"I know, I know" he replied, nodding, "But it _is_ your sister's day"

She rolled her eyes, "It's _always_ Blossom's day, you ever realise that?"

He shrugged, "Yeah I guess you're right" the ravenet then came to sit beside her, making the silverware on the table rattle and the champagne flutes lean precariously before the tent became silent again.

Buttercup gave him a teasing sideways glance after a moment, and smiled as an idea crossed her mind,

Butch's eyebrows rose on his forehead and he blinked at her, " _No_ "

"Oh come on, you're meant to be all about mischief and getting in trouble, right?" she replied, quickly standing from the table, only to come down on his lap instead. The young woman placed her hands to his collar, tugging down his green tie and loosing the top buttons,

"Sure, but I'm pretty certain that this will get me castrated by your sister if we get caught"

She ignored him, placing an enthusiastic kiss on his mouth as her hands travelled down his chest, unbuttoning his waistcoat as they went,

He groaned as she applied more weight against him and slipped her tongue into his mouth; his hands went to her ribcage, holding her closer for just a moment before finally giving her a gentle push away, "You are so in for it" he said with an excited breath, already far too gone to protest the location,

"Oh really?" she giggled, untucking his shirt, her hands then finding his belt instead,

"Definitely" he grunted, suddenly gripping her more tightly and jerking her forwards, his mouth attaching to her exposed neck and the strip of bare skin above the bodice of her dress.

Buttercup let her head lull back, squeezing the man's hips in between her knees to stay up right,

Butch was usually pretty easy to convince; he expressed concern about fooling about in public places, but as they hadn't been caught yet (save for a few times in the back of movie theatres where it was practically expected anyway), he had definitely become more relaxed about the prospect. This local was the riskiest they had ever attempted of course, but what was life without a little danger? If anything, it kind of made it hotter.

While Butch had taken to undoing the tricky tied ribbon that kept up her dress, Buttercup had severely mussed his hair, which for once had been somewhat neatly styled,

She figured that they were probably taking it too far, she knew she was doing it mostly for the sake of rebellion, but equally, she'd lost the ability to care. Everything had been so messy since the engagement, and now finally Buttercup felt free from the pressure the whole ordeal had put her under- it was ridiculous, it wasn't even _her_ engagement, therefore not her engagement to worry or indeed _care_ about. She and Butch may have been pushing it, but if they were quick (and the urgency would make it quick), it wouldn't matter-

"What the _fuck_ are you doing?"

Buttercup and Butch paused, turning towards the tent flap. Her dress was now agape about her chest and his shirt was halfway undone, pooling around his shoulders,

Quickly the young man reached forward, holding his girlfriend's dress closed as best he could, trying to keep her modest in front of his brother, "Brick-"

The groom was stood between the two plastic hangings that made up the tent's entrance, his expression was one which conveyed a very simple idea- he had no clue how to react to what he was faced with: his new wife's sister in the lap of his brother, both halfway to undressed.

Before either Butch or Buttercup could speak, or before an awkward silence had time to fall, the tent flap began to move once more, accompanied by a muffled voice,

Brick's eyes widened and his arms flailed, attempting to keep her from entering the marquee, "No! Bloss-"

But it was too late, the bride shuffled in, still in full gown, her face swiftly turning from porcelain white to enraged red, "You. Selfish. Bitch" she screamed, her hands falling to her sides in fists,

Buttercup cocked her head towards her sister slowly, a warm haze of adrenaline casting up over her face, "I'm the selfish one?" she said calmly, holding her dress to her chest so Butch didn't have to, and climbing off of his lap, " _I'm_ the selfish one, am I?" she repeated, glaring at her sister.

"Yes, you're selfish, a selfish slut" Blossom responded, stomping further into the tent, her grip now balled up in the skirt of her wedding dress so she could move,

Buttercup was immediately struck by how ridiculous she looked in that moment, and then she realised that she always thought her ridiculous, only now the exterior matched her personality.

"You couldn't take that today was about me, so you decided to fuck a guy you don't even like for attention!"

"Yes, you're right, of course you're right! You're always right!" the ravenette replied, shaking her head, "I came to an _empty_ tent, to have sex with my _boyfriend_ , ' _for attention'_!"

Her sister blinked, "Butch isn't your-" she faltered at seeing their expressions, daring her to keep speaking,

"You two are dating?" Brick asked, finally finding his voice in the conversation,

"Yeah" Butch replied, rebuckling his belt and standing from the table. He then reached for the ribbons of Buttercup's dress tying them together into a rudimentary but tight knot so that she could stop holding the garment closed,

"Oh this is great!" Blossom said, letting out an unamused laugh, "I started dating Brick, so you just had to get together with his brother to try and get one up on me!"

Butch's eyes widened and he stepped forward, hand risen in protest, "Hey, hold on now-"

Buttercup moved in front of him though, cutting him off, "You'd love to think that wouldn't you? That I care so much about your life that I would want to what? _compete_ with you? Or do you think I'm copying you? Because you're oh so remarkable, I would want to be just like you?" she shook her head as she spoke, struggling to not find the whole thing hilarious.

"Yes! You're jealous, you always have been!" the redhead was crying now, tears streaming down her shaking face, "You've been jealous of me since we were children, because I'm your leader, and you wanted that recognition"

"You _were_ our leader, _**were**_ Blossom. But now you're the only one who gives a shit about that. God you're so deluded! Wake up! The Powerpuff Girls are gone, but you're so sad and stuck in the past that you can't let it go"

Quiet fell for a moment as the words sunk in,

"I- I don't-" Blossom stuttered, her retort failing to form,

"You're a joke!" her sister went on, still full of things to say, "You're an absolute joke. You think that a little title you were given as a baby counts for something. You think that getting married before your sisters makes you more mature, more special, more important. You think that I care about every single thing you say or do"

Butch reached forward again, putting a hand to his girlfriend's shoulder, "That's probably enough now Buttercup" he said softly, watching the stunned expression that Blossom wore,

"No" she snapped, pulling away from him, "It's about time she heard this", she turned once more to her sister, her gaze dark and serious, "What's worst of all, is that you'd seriously think I would be with someone just to try and get back at you. I love Butch, I really do. I didn't just give into him because he kissed me and said some pretty words. I _actually_ love him, it's not like whatever this is", she gestured at the two redheads, briefly shifting gaze to Brick to make her point clear, "You've done some fucked up things sis, but marrying the first guy you could to win some stupid game of life is on a whole other level"

The groom looked about ready to go berserk, but Butch was preparing to step between the two sisters, wildly aware of how vicious a fight between the two of them could be.

Slowly, Blossom rose her hung head, her eyes now aglow red with a building blast of laser vision, "Leave now" she hissed, steam rising from the corners of her eyes,

Buttercup scoffed and took a step back, "You're angry because I'm right and you know it"

"Leave!" her sister screamed, the heat in her gaze becoming white,

Butch took his girlfriend's hand, attempting to pull her back through the tent to a different exit,

She let him, although she stalled after only a few seconds, "Me and Butch have been together since we were seventeen by the way, we were fucking before you even looked at Brick"

"Come on" he said softly, tugging her away again,

Blossom looked like some kind of ghost, as pale as her dress and weeping in silence. Brick was holding her hand, apparently trying to comfort her, although he wasn't saying anything- he too had gone very pale.

Buttercup let herself be pulled out of the marquee, and then off the grounds of the manor. Butch was talking, probably talking to her, although she didn't hear a word, not until they got to his car which was parked in a narrow street ten minutes away. The young woman was sat on the hood of the vehicle, and her boyfriend was kneeling down in front of her, slowly removing her shoes,

"Butts?" he asked, giving her a weary look as he slipped off her second heel,

"I fucking hate her" she grumbled, finally blinking back to the present moment,

He sighed, "No you don't"

"I do" Buttercup snapped, "I fucking hate that bitch, I always have"

Her boyfriend pressed her lips shut into a straight line and started to unbutton the rest of his shirt, coming to perch beside her on the bonnet, "So what now?" he asked, pulling off his shirt and waistcoat as one, and wadding them up into a horrendously crinkled ball.

She blinked again, taking a moment to replay everything in her head; part of her couldn't believe that she'd finally put her sister in her place, but the more she thought about it, the angrier she became again, realising just how much she had meant everything she had said.

"What do we do now?" Butch repeated, speaking a little louder and looking over to her,

The young woman whipped her head around swiftly, ready to give him a piece of her mind too, but at seeing his expression she immediately lost all of her bite. He was giving her a sympathetic look that reminded her instantly of how patient he could be; he was probably almost as angry as she was in some ways, but at this moment he cared more about her, and it showed.

Buttercup growled, but it quickly became a sigh, and her head came to rest on his shoulder, "Just give me a minute to think" she said, closing her eyes. She knew they had to do something and do it soon, but now she was just so tired. It had come over her all at once and only in the last few seconds; clearly the adrenaline had worn off, and she was suffering the after affects.

"Take all the time you need" Butch said, leaning back against her and placing an arm around her waist, "I can wait".

0o0o0

It was early morning, but the light in the hotel room was so sparse, it could still have been the dead of night. That was what paying up for a swankier hotel did, it got you curtains that actually did something.

Buttercup could still work out the details of Butch's face in the dark though; his narrow nose, slightly kinked from being broken at least once (maybe even by her at some stage), his strong cheek bones and sharp jaw, cut from marble but chipped with tiny scars from two decades of fights, and his full lips which were almost permanently curved up at the corners.

He was a handsome guy, he always had been; Buttercup sometimes wondered if they matched as a couple, whether their features and 'levels of attractiveness' made sense side by side. She didn't consider herself particularly attractive, not that she though herself ugly either, in truth she didn't actually know much about women's look at all; all she did know was that her breasts couldn't exactly be considered 'moderate' compared to most, but that Butch liked that- he was way more interested in her wide hips anyway.

She smiled at the vague memories of the evening before which proved just as much, and she shifted on the mattress, slipping her hands into the cool space under her pillow,

Her boyfriend winced, making his nose crinkle, "Mornin'" he mumbled, his eyes still closed,

"Morning" she replied, leaning forward and pressing a small kiss to one of his cheeks,

He opened one eye, testing how bright it was, "How're you feeling this morning?" he asked, now looking at her.

Buttercup groaned and slammed her face into her pillow, "It only took you five seconds to ruin my day!"

Her words were muffled, but he got the gist of what she said, "It's just that I've been thinking" he replied, one of his hands going to her lower back and the other hoisting himself off of his chest, "I've been thinking a lot and stuff is bothering me, so I can't help but think that stuff must be bothering you too"

She was half tempted to jump him again, just to get him to shut up (although she didn't want that to become a theme in their relationship), "What have you been thinking about?" she asked, looking back at him,

"Your dad"

"Well that ruins the mood doesn't it?" she said, rolling her eye and slumping down onto the mattress again,

Butch's eyes widened, "There was a mood?"

"Forget it", she sat up once more, regarding him, "Why have you been thinking about my dad?"

"Bubbles must have moved out by now, and Bloss- your other sister can't have lived in that house for years"

"What's your point?" she asked, although she was pretty sure she already got his meaning, she just didn't want to admit it,

He frowned, giving as much of a shrug as he could manage whilst still in bed, "He must be pretty lonely, don't you think?"

"Don't do that!" Buttercup whined, shaking her head,

"Don't do what?"

She gave him a withering expression, "You know what, don't try and guilt me"

He nodded, "Okay, yeah, I am guilting you, but I've kind of got a point, don't I?"

The young woman appreciated that he wasn't trying to lie to her, but she still wasn't all that convinced by his argument, "Just say what you want to say babe, don't sugar coat it"

He shook his head, "I'm not trying to tell you some big home truth, all I'm saying is that your dad would probably really like to see you. He's a good guy and he did a lot for you, and he's likely been worrying every second since you left"

Buttercup stared at him, feeling her mouth go dry and her eyes dampen, "Are you asking if we can go home?" she asked, speaking so softly that the bed clothes seemed to eat the sound,

"I'm asking you to consider it"


End file.
